


Connecting Cosmos

by Ellienerd14



Category: Class (TV 2016), Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Charlie loves space, Cute, M/M, Mutual Pining, Probably the cutest thing I've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 14:51:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11210340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellienerd14/pseuds/Ellienerd14
Summary: "There's a tiny bit of the cosmos in you. Can you feel it?"Matteusz didn't answer because in that moment, all he could feel was his heart beating out of control.He held Charlie's hand again before he changed his mind."What are you doing?"~~~Charlie always wanted to see the stars, but at what cost?





	Connecting Cosmos

**Author's Note:**

> Dialect prompt: "I waited and waited, but you never came back."

_**"I waited and waited, but you never came back."** _

* * *

 

It was hard to find a place where you could see the stars in London. It was one of the few drawbacks of living in a big city. That was one of the things that made their summer trips to county so special.

The second was Matteusz.

Charlie had been friends with Matteusz since they were ten. His mother used to say how they made a strange pair. Charlie was shy and spend most of his time reading or sketching; his head always in a book. Matteusz was more confident and while both he and Charlie were clever, he was adventurous. But somehow they ended up inseparable.

"I'm going to see the stars one day," Charlie said. They were laying side by side at the top of hill, looking up at the night sky. (Or at least Charlie was. Matteusz was admiring something different, letting for once the new feeling inside him to win over.)

"We're looking at the stars right now," Matteusz replied, although it was only half true.

"Up close. I'm going to see the stars up close." Charlie reached out like it was that easy. As if he could fly away from the town and into the night sky above them.

He dropped his hand. It was only centimetres away from Matteusz'. He could reach out and take it in his own easily. And he wanted; he had been daydreaming about since Charlie arrived at the start of summer. He was taller then before (although Matteusz still towered over him) and somehow his eyes seemed brighter and bluer. That's when everything clicked into place for Matteusz. (He was only fourteen, he'd tried to convince himself, so it couldn't be love. But it was something close and with his family that was risky. With Charlie it was risky.)

He didn't reach out for Charlie's hand. He felt a million miles away.

"You can't see them up close. Stars would burn out before that."

"I know," Charlie said. He didn't sound any different, his voice was as hopeful and soothing as before. "But there must be a way to see the stars a little closer."

"Not unless you could fly," Matteusz replied.

Charlie turned to look at him. "You know, people are made of stardust."

"That's not possible."

"It is," Charlie said. He took Matteusz' hand in his own. He had been daydreaming of it for long that it was almost unfair how easy Charlie made it look. "See your veins? There's iron in your blood which comes from the stars exploding."

Matteusz hoped desperately that Charlie wouldn't notice his sudden blush. "Is that true?"

"Of course it is." Charlie let go of his wrist. "There's a tiny bit of the cosmos in you. Can you feel it?"

Matteusz didn't answer because in that moment, all he could feel was his heart beating out of control.

He held Charlie's hand again before he changed his mind.

"What are you doing?" He asked. Charlie didn't sound mad and he didn't pull away. He just sounded curious.

"Connecting cosmos."

* * *

"Astrophysics?" Charlie watched as Matteusz looked down at the letter. He'd just gotten it last week, a promise of a university place.

"I told you I was going to see the stars." Charlie frowned. "You don't look happy. I got into Cambridge."

"I'm proud, promise." Matteusz still didn't smile, which was worrying Charlie. He always smiled; it was one of the many wonderful things about him. "But it's in _London_."

"I live in London."

"I was hoping that you'd be a little closer." Matteusz handed back the letter. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. But we'll always stay friends." Charlie had hoped that his promise would cheer up his oldest friend. But Matteusz still looked upset.

" _Friends_ ," he repeated.

"How do you say 'I promise' in Polish?" Charlie had picked up a little of language though over eight years of friendship but he wasn't fluent.

" _Obiecuję_ ," Matteusz answered.

" _Obiecuję_ ," Charlie repeated. It wasn't perfect but it was enough to make Matteusz smile and that seemed to tilt the universe back into its place.

* * *

Charlie didn't mean to get in trouble but when the world started to end, it was difficult to avoid.

He thought of Matteusz briefly and hoped he was okay, in the little seaside town where his fondest memories were from, bubble wrapped in the back of his mind.

"You, with the astrophysics book," a strange man in a long velvet coat said. "Do you know where I can find telescope?" He was Scottish and looked old, although he seemed to have the energy of someone half his age.

"There's one in the physics department," Charlie answered. The weird man took off, in the wrong direction, and with a sigh Charlie followed him. "You're going the wrong way! It's in the East Wing."

"Which way am I going?"

"West!"

The man changed direction and Charlie sprinted after him. Crowds of students were starting to gather to stare at the spaceship hurdling across the sky but Charlie kept his focus on the strange man.

Somehow, Charlie was beat the East Wing. Breathlessly, he followed the man into the lab. He was pulling apart the telescope with a screwdriver in his mouth.

"Who are you?" He asked. "What are you doing?"

"Saving the world."

"How?"

The man raised up his (impressive) eyebrows. "Well I'm sending a signal to that ship in the sky with new coordinates. Would use my own ship but your basic earth tech works better."

"I'm Charlie." He picked up a piece of broken telescope. "How can I help?"

* * *

The Doctors ship was bigger on the inside and somehow saving the earth became the _second_ most exciting thing to happen to Charlie that day.

"This is amazing. How long did it take you to build it?"

"I stole it," he replied. The Doctor snapped his fingers, which almost made Charlie jump as the doors shut. "So past or future?"

"Past or future?" Charlie repeated.

"You helped save the planet. That gives you the right to a trip or two in my TARDIS."

"This ship is called a TARDIS?"

"Time and relative dimension in space." The Doctor grinned. "So, a trip. Unless you'd rather go answer some awkward questions on why the labs telescope is broken."

"I can't run away. I have essays and friends and life." Still Charlie couldn't give up his chance to achieve his dream. "But you said 'time'…"

"I'll have you back before you know it. Now, where do you want to start?"

"The future. But that's just the start right?"

The Doctor nodded. "What have you got in mind Charlie?"

"I'm made of stardust and I'd like to see the stars up close."

"That," the Doctor promised with another bright, manic grin, "I can promise."

* * *

Charlie fell into a routine of adventures and schoolwork before he knew it. The only problem was it didn't leave much time (or space) for friends.

"Matteusz, I'll come see you next week," Charlie said. "Obiecuję."

"You remembered that?" He sounded surprised. (Charlie missed his voice sometimes.)

"Of course I did. I'll come see you. I miss you."

Matteusz let out a small, sad sigh. "I miss you too Charlie."

* * *

A broken promise from the boy he once trusted isn't what broke Matteusz.

It was all the weeks after that broke him. One month turned into two which was creeping into three. With every passing day, Charlie seemed to fade further away.

It didn't make sense for Charlie to just run away. But Matteusz didn't want to think of any other opinions.

There was a knock at his dorm door. Probably his roommate's girlfriend again. "April? Is that you?"

"No," a voice that made Matteusz' blood run cold replied. It couldn't be him. There was a pause when he thought he'd imagined it, then: "Matti?"

He couldn't get to the door fast enough. Charlie was there somehow, smiling and wearing the same stupid coat he always wore. He wasn't acting like he'd been missing for ten weeks.

Matteusz was torn between bursting into tears and kissing him. Instead he just pulled Charlie close and hugged him.

"I've missed you too." Charlie laughed.

"How could you? Everyone thought you were missing or worse…"

"Missing?" Charlie echoed. "Why would you think that?"

"Charlie you never came to visit me. You stopped coming to school and vanished. I waited and waited, but you never came back. I'd almost given up."

He shook his head. "This is all a big misunderstanding. I can fix it."

He stepped towards the door but Matteusz pulled him back. "How can you 'fix' months of heartbreak? I spent week after week wishing I had told you how I felt when I had the chance."

"I can-"

"No!" His shouting took them both aback. "Don't leave me. Charlie you need to stay because I love you."

It was the first time that Matteusz had admitted out loud how he felt about Charlie. It stunned them both.

"You _love_ me? _You_ love _me_?"

"Yes. I'm sorry but I do. And I'm reminded of it everyday, every night because I look up and think of how you love the stars and of how I love you more."

"Matti," the gentleness in Charlie's voice was enough to make him look at his (no longer lost) best friend.

Then Charlie leaned forward and kissed him. He was probably on his tiptoes and they were both crying and Matteusz had to lean forward just to reach him.

It was worth it.

"I just wanted to see the stars. Next time I won't leave you behind."

**Author's Note:**

> This has to be my favourite fic I've written. 
> 
> Remember to leave a comment.


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